Sunday Scribblings - Kitchen

The day I was proposed to, the first thing I thought was, yes, now someone will throw me a "Kitchen Shower." How I longed to have my very own kitchen, replete with every gadget, pot and pan to ever grace the pages of Gourmet Magazine. And better yet, having hundreds of people anxious to fill my every want and need.

My love for cooking probably started in utero. My mother was a Nurse who had little to no interest in cooking other than to fuel your body with nutrients. My father was a better cook than my mom, but only if you could exist on fudge and popcorn. The whole time she was pregnant my mom prayed for a daughter who would be her sous chef, dishwasher and table setter. Her wish was granted. I don't know if it was out of self defense, but I started cooking at a very early age and my parents could not have been happier or encouraged me more. While other girls my age were getting toys, I was given a timer, cookie sheets and spring pan. One Christmas I decided I was too old for dolls and got a pizza making kit, miniature baking oven and cookbooks instead. All my classmates were in shock at show and tell. Unfortunately for my parents and sister, my specialty was tuna noodle casserole and I think I made it every chance I could. When I was ten years old, I whipped up a banana cream pie from scratch and all my mom could say was "beginners luck"!

I was so excited when I got pregnant, because I would have another mouth to feed. I was the type of mother who very seldom bought jars of baby food, choosing to make my own by throwing everything I could into the Cuisinart with love. My daughters hardly ever had to settle for store bought cookies and developed a taste for olives, pickles and white cheddar cheese before they ever had a hot dog. Speaking of hot dogs, I felt so guilty feeding them to my kids, that I insisted they wash them down with cottage cheese. To this day, one of their favorite comfort foods is hot dogs with cottage cheese.

Although I have never had anything close to my dream kitchen and most of them had less space than my car, I have produced banquets fit for a king. Throughout the years, I have mastered French cooking in my first year of marriage, learned to make authentic lasagna, produced an apple pie from scratch quicker than you can say Martha Stewart, thrown a party for 100 plus people numerous times, and more times than I care to admit, made homemade dog biscuits. I have tested over three hundred recipes for a Junior League Cookbook, made rice crispy treats on a weekly basis and nothing ever curtailed my love affair with cooking.

To me, my kitchen is my studio, my shrink, my entertainment center, my social center and my best friend. I feel more comfortable in the kitchen than I do in bed.

Comments

what a super post!

My mother had five kids and a huge island... and we sat on one side, while she cooked on the other. She was a great cook, but I never learned to cook from her. I think I always thought someone would make me food :)

Lucky for me, my husband LOVED to cook. So again, I had someone to cook for me. Yahoo.

But as the years have gone by, I have learned to cook. I sorta have a knack for it :) Who knew?

I think it's another avenue for creativity :) So I can believe you're very good! Lucky family.